


Super Secret Dark Side

by ABrighterDarkness



Series: Tony Stark Bingo [12]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Sleepy Cuddles, Steve Rogers Feels, Stranded, Tony Stark Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ABrighterDarkness/pseuds/ABrighterDarkness
Summary: “So that’s it huh?” Tony mused, head cocked to the side consideringly.“What?” Steve blinked.“That super secret dark side that you swore you had,” Tony said, lips twitching.“Tony,” Steve started and then sighed in resigned amusement. “What are you talking about?”
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark Bingo [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599133
Comments: 9
Kudos: 209





	Super Secret Dark Side

**Author's Note:**

> Tony Stark Bingo  
> Title: Super Secret Dark Side  
> Collaborator Name: ABrighterDarkness  
> Card Number: 4074  
> Link:  
> Square Filled: A1 - Survival in the Wild  
> Ship/Main Pairing: Tony/Steve  
> Rating: T  
> Major Tags: N/A  
> Summary:  
> “So that’s it huh?” Tony mused, head cocked to the side consideringly.
> 
> “What?” Steve blinked.
> 
> “That super secret dark side that you swore you had,” Tony said, lips twitching. 
> 
> “Tony,” Steve started and then sighed in resigned amusement. “What are you talking about?”  
> Word Count: 6786
> 
> Steve | Tony | Bucky Bingo  
> Square Filled: I2 - Taking You With Me

Steve shuddered as he shouldered the flimsy excuse for a door closed against the heavy winds. Rubbing his hands together for warmth out of habit rather than necessity, he quickly scanned the small cabin that they had somehow managed to find despite the blizzard conditions just on the other side of the door behind him. 

It was small, very small. The entire little cabin seemed to consist of just the single room with sparse furniture. A worn, lumpy looking couch was all there was for seating and an equally lumpy looking twin sized mattress atop a metal bed frame nestled into the furthest corner from the door. The opposite corner was probably meant to be a tiny little kitchenette, consisting of a handful of cabinets and a sink that Steve wasn’t entirely sure actually used running water, considering the location. 

Even the kitchenette had no modern appliances, just an old iron wood burning stove that looked to be in surprisingly decent condition, all things considered. Though, to Steve’s relief there was a reasonable stack of wood just beside it. He imagined that it was probably bone-dry and would burn through quickly but even something was better than nothing, as long as they were careful.

“Well this is lovely,” Tony grumbled irritably.

Steve grimaced in agreement and sighed, shoving the cowl off of his head. “It’s no Ritz,” he agreed dryly but the howling wind drew another shudder out of him and he had to shrug. “Better than nothing though.”

“Better would be getting our asses home,” Tony countered. “Where there’s running water and hot showers calling my name.”

Steve conceded the point. He wasn’t looking forward to being stuck here for as long as it took for the storm to break either. Dropping the shield to lean against the wall beside the door, Steve navigated through the small room to the stove, examining it closely. He trailed his hand carefully over the metal piping that he knew would extend through the roof, checking for any cracks or weakness in the iron that would fill the cabin full of smoke rather than directing it outside. 

“Would you be able to fly safely in this?” he asked curiously as he pulled the lever that would open the chimney, satisfied when it opened without too much of a fight. He had seen Tony manage to pull off a lot that probably shouldn’t be possible, he didn’t think that he’d be surprised either way.

A glance over his shoulder found Tony rocking his hand in a so-so motion. “The low visibility wouldn’t be an issue with J’ on the HUD but the wind? Eh, probably.”

Steve nodded absently as he pulled one of the smaller logs apart with little effort, stripping it into smaller pieces. He had to bite back a small nostalgic chuckle at the familiarity. He’d done the same on the rare occasion that the Howlies could afford to have a fire without the risk of tipping off nearby scouts. The big logs were great for maintaining a fire but not the best when trying to get one started. Steve was certainly no stranger to using his strength to pull a larger piece into thin strips of wood that caught fire quickly. They’d have given just about anything for even a rickety old cabin like this one, back then.

He shook off the wandering thoughts and carefully arranged the smaller strips and pieces of wood inside the stove. With a frown he patted through the various pouches on his belt, searching for the lighter he always made a point to keep on him. Boy Scout jokes aside, Steve learned to be prepared the hard way in the war. It wasn’t an ingrained habit that he was willing to break.

“What are you doing?” Tony asked, voice stuttering just slightly as the effects of the cold air and frigid temperatures set in.

Steve glanced over his shoulder again, grinning when his fingers found the lighter. “You’ll freeze to death before the storm ever passes if we don’t raise the temps in here at least a little bit.”

“It’s supposed to pass overnight,” Tony pointed out. 

“Hopefully,” Steve agreed. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to get pretty damn uncomfortable between now and then. Better to be safe.” He grimaced again and shot Tony a wry smile. “Trust me, that’s not a fun way to go either.”

“That went awfully morbid,” Tony blinked and Steve just shrugged. Maybe it wasn’t the most tactful thing to say, bringing up his own freezing situation but he thought it got the point across.

It took a few minutes of careful coaxing but soon the small flames caught onto the bark left on the outer sides of the pieces of wood. Steve couldn’t help the small bolt of satisfaction when just a bit later there was a healthy fire burning inside the belly of the stove. 

“Come here, Tony,” Steve said, once he was satisfied that he had a good start. When Tony cautiously approached, Steve guided him by the hand to stand next to the stove on the opposite side of the wood pile. “Get warmed up a bit. It’ll take a little for the metal to heat enough to do anything about the room temperature any but this’ll help for now.”

Tony hedged in closer, hands extended toward the heat and offered a slightly relieved smile. Steve returned it before turning his attention to the stack of logs. He carefully checked them over, pleasantly surprised when he found several that weren’t completely dried out. He would save those until closer to nightfall since they would be able to last most of the night with less need to tend to them.

“You could, you know,” Steve said, keeping his voice as even and neutral as he could. He kept his eyes on the logs, sorting the over-dried pieces into a separate pile from the good ones. 

“I could what?” Tony asked, blinking in obvious confusion.

“You-ah-you said you could make it home safely, even in this,” Steve said as he carefully placed one of the good logs and one of the dry ones into the stove, nudging them until he was satisfied with their placement. He cleared his throat and looked up to meet Tony’s eyes steadily. “You could. If you want. I can wait out the storm here and dig out once the storm passes.”

Tony just stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed. “Yeah,” he said, drawing the word out slowly. “That’s not happening, Cap, sorry to disappoint.” Tony shook his head slowly and then again more quickly, expression twisting incredulously. “You really think I’d just, what? Bolt out of here at the first chance and leave you stuck?”

“No,” Steve denied immediately. “I’m only saying that I know I’m not up for you trying to carry me out in this. Not only would it make it more difficult for you to fly safely to have to worry about my additional weight and such but...I know myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t handle that as well as I’d like to claim I would.”

“But,” he continued before Tony could interrupt. “I wouldn’t be angry or upset if you wanted to take advantage of your ability to get out of this mess.”

“Like you said,” Tony said firmly after a moment. “You wouldn’t handle being flown out of here and exposed to this storm for as long as it would take to get home. So it looks like we’re riding this thing out. And when it passes,  _ then _ we’ll  _ both _ dig out of here.”

Steve did his best to ignore the rush of relief that tried to wash over him. He distracted himself by pushing the stove’s door closed and carefully latching it. He eyed the old kettle and battered metal basin that was hanging on the wall before standing and snatching each off of the wall. 

With a bitten back sigh, he left Tony at the stove and moved back to the door. Bracing himself for the chill, Steve pulled the door open just enough to use the edge of the basin to scoop snow until it was mostly full. As soon as he was done, he quickly shoved the door closed again.

“Kinda defeated the purpose of warming up the room, didn’t you?” Tony quipped.

“Figured it wouldn’t hurt to have water on hand,” Steve shrugged, settling the basin on top of the stove where the rising heat from the fire would melt down the snow. “If we’re stuck at least through the night, it’s a smart idea to be prepared.”

Tony tilted his head slightly, conceding the point. They fell quiet for a stretch, hovering around the stove while the cabin slowly warmed. It was unlikely that it would get to a truly comfortable temperature. Not with as ragged and battered as the old building seemed to be and rapidly dropping temperatures due the viscous storm howling outside. 

Steve stole a sideways glance at Tony across the short distance. He knew he would have to keep a close eye on Tony, especially once night came and temperatures plummeted. Steve was confident in his own ability to survive it, obviously he’d done it before. He just had to make sure that Tony would as well.

“So this is exciting,” Tony drawled after another moment.

Steve huffed a laugh and bobbed a nod. “Peak entertainment value. Kinda missed it though.”

“Being stranded in the middle of a blizzard in a cabin that looks like one of those gusts might knock it down on top of us?” Tony said sarcastically. “Can’t imagine who wouldn’t miss that.”

Steve shot him an amused look and rolled his eyes. “No,” he laughed. “No, just. Making the fire and the quiet. It’s not all fond memories. I mean, it was wartime. But there were some good moments at some of the strangest times.”

Tony was quiet for a moment, smiling a sad sort of smile but he nodded slowly in understanding. “Yeah,” he sighed. “Almost makes up for some of the bad.”

“Almost,” Steve agreed, shifting in his crouch to sit more comfortably on the floor next to the stove. He glanced across the cabin and eyed the lumpy couch warily. Deciding that the cabin likely hadn’t heated enough for that to be a reasonable option, Steve stayed put. 

To his surprise, Tony followed his lead, leaning against the row of cabinets and sliding down to sit on the floor. He shifted until he was situated with his knees bent upward and arms crossed over top, head resting back against the wood behind him. 

“At least we’re not alone?” Steve offered hesitantly.

Tony quirked a tired smile. “Says the guy that wanted to chase me off at the first opportunity.”

“I just didn’t want you to be trapped here too,” Steve shrugged and after a pause quietly admitted, “I’m not upset that you’re here with me though. The whole ‘stranded in the middle of a blizzard’ thing aside.”

“That aside,” Tony smirked.

“We’re not getting shot at,” Steve pointed out.

“There’s that,” Tony agreed, glancing over to the door with a grimace. “Though, I think even Clint would have a hard time with marksmanship in this.”

“I’m going to tell him you said that,” Steve chuckled.

“No you won’t,” Tony countered without hesitation. “He wouldn’t believe you anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Steve said, drawing the words out thoughtfully. “I can be pretty convincing when I want to be.”

“Fine,” Tony huffed, though he was smiling again so Steve counted that as a win. “But you’re on clean up duty when he decides he needs to prove his competency.”

“I’m not the one he’d be showing off for,” Steve denied. “That would be all yours.”

Tony hummed and shook his head. “Nope,” he argued. “Because, for once, it wouldn’t be me riling him up.”

The easy conversation was interrupted when the cabin shuddered against a particularly brutal wind gust. They both eyed the structure warily for a long moment. Steve swallowed nervously and pushed himself to his feet, suddenly far too restless to remain motionless any longer. He rubbed his hands together absently and paced the short distance to the door and then to each of the two tiny windows that the cabin boasted. 

He was right that the majority of the small cabin hadn’t budged a whole lot in temperature, despite the fire crackling strong in the stove. Another hour or so and it would be toasty but that was still a while away. Most of the small space clung tight to the chill for now. Steve mentally leaned into the sharp bite of the lingering cold to keep his mind sharp as he paced, eyes scanning the major support beams of the structure. He wasn’t overly knowledgeable about architecture but the basics were logical enough to reason out. 

Despite the haggard appearance, the cabin seemed pretty stable from what he was able to tell. The storm, in theory, shouldn’t be enough to bring it down on top of them and leave them exposed to the bitter cold. There were a few gaps in the old boards where the cold air managed to sneak through and the cabin had nothing so far as insulation. It would be a battle but they should be safe as long as Steve was able to keep the fire going and they were smart about it.

“Steve.”

Tony’s urgent use of his name drew Steve to a halt. He froze mid step and turned on his heel to where Tony was still seated by the stove, eyeing him hesitantly. Steve stared for a moment, waiting for whatever it was that Tony had wanted to say, for whatever reason he had been called.

“Come back over here and sit down,” Tony said cautiously but firmly. 

Steve shook his head slowly, “I’m good.”

“No you’re not,” Tony countered. “You’re working yourself into a tailspin. I know the look.”

“I’m fine, Tony,” Steve insisted. “Just checking the cabin.”

“Yet you haven’t looked away from that  _ one window, _ the entire time you’ve been pacing,” Tony said with forced patience. 

“I’m fine,” Steve repeated.

“Then get your ass over here and keep me company,” Tony retorted.

Steve felt the urge to snap back and bit down hard on his tongue to stop his words from getting away from him. Again. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, clenching his hands into tight fists and releasing them. With another wary glance out the window, Steve nodded. Instead of retaking his earlier place, sitting on the floor across from and facing Tony, Steve leaned against the cabinets and slid down to sit directly next to him. 

As soon as he was seated, Tony tipped to the side, resting his head against Steve’s shoulder. Steve stiffened for a brief moment in surprise before allowing himself to relax. He stretched his legs out in front of him and let his own head rest against the top of Tony’s.

“Almost don’t even need the fire,” Tony muttered after long enough that Steve had almost begun to wonder if he hadn’t fallen asleep. 

“What?” Steve asked, frowning in confusion but unwilling to move to see Tony’s expression more clearly.

Tony shrugged and shifted closer until they pressed close along the one side. “We almost don’t even need the fire,” Tony repeated. “Not with as warm as you run.”

Steve felt his face heat at the quiet observation and he forced himself not to shift awkwardly and accidentally dislodge Tony’s comfort. Sitting as close as they were to the stove, the nearness probably wasn’t strictly necessary. The fire had finally managed to start to heat the iron hot enough that the worst of the chill was eased as long as they stayed in the immediate vicinity. Regardless, the physical contact did seem to help keep Steve’s mind slightly calmer despite the storm still brewing and the cabin creaking noisily around them.

“D’you think the signal made it through?” Steve asked quietly a few moments later.

“No,” Tony admitted reluctantly. “Though it’s less to do with the storm and more to do with, you know, the fact that we crashed the jet.”

“Isn’t that the whole purpose of the distress signal?” Steve frowned. 

“Typically, yes,” Tony nodded without pulling his head away from Steve’s shoulder. “But considering all the electrical components were well and truly fried  _ before _ we actually crashed...Well that makes it a little more tricky.”

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter either way,” Steve mused. “Even if it was sent and received, it’s not like they could come for us in the middle of this anyway.”

Tony hummed his agreement and they fell silent again. Steve alternated between mindfully tending the fire, checking out the windows--there was at least a foot on the ground when they’d gotten to the cabin, he wouldn’t be surprised to learn it had doubled already--and sitting quietly beside Tony. 

He could admit that it was a little strange. Steve wasn’t accustomed to such lengthy stretches of silence and inactivity, not from Tony at least. The man that very nearly vibrated with constant motion and talked a mile a minute even when he was relaxed, never mind when he was worked up and on a roll about any given thing. 

Concerned, he gently nudged where Tony had leaned against him when Steve had settled back down after adding another one of the dry logs to the stove. Truthfully, he could have probably eased up on adding the wood. The fire didn’t necessarily  _ need _ more fuel but Steve was concerned about heading off the dropping temperatures and making sure that Tony stayed warm enough. 

Tony startled slightly at the jostling and tipped his head back almost lazily to meet Steve’s eyes, brows arched questioningly.

“You okay?” Steve asked quietly.

“What?” Tony frowned, blinking rapidly in confusion. “Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Fine.”

Steve eyed him speculatively for a long moment, brows furrowed. “That wasn’t entirely convincing, Tony.”

Tony shrugged and nestled back down more comfortably against Steve’s shoulder. “I’m not fantastic,” he said. “Kinda hard to be fantastic, don’t you think?”

“Well sure,” Steve agreed. “But you’re quiet.”

Tony snorted and then sighed. “I’m fine. Just a little stiff and sore. Distracted myself by running numbers and calculations.”

Steve took a moment to listen to the storm and glanced at the windows. Unless the whole situation was distorting his usually impeccable mental clock he didn’t think that it was very late but it was darkening rapidly regardless. It was that time of year though, he supposed. 

“I think the stove’s probably got the cabin as warm as it’s going to get,” Steve said. “Why don’t you go lay down. Stretch out a bit. Sitting on the floor can’t be helping.”

“Nah, I’m good,” Tony said without taking even a brief moment to consider it. 

Steve huffed a laugh and shook his head in fond exasperation. “Tony,” he smiled, nudging him again. “Go. Get comfortable or at least as comfortable as you can get here. I’ll keep an eye on the fire.”

“I am comfortable,” Tony insisted. “Or maybe not comfortable,” he corrected after a beat. “But I’m warm and that’s just about the same thing right now.”

“Are you sure?” Steve pressed.

“Look,” Tony huffed, pulling away from Steve’s shoulder far enough to fix him with a flat glare. “I might not be a backpacking boy scout expert on these things but even I know that as soon as that sun’s all the way down it’s going to get absolutely fucking frigid. I don’t particularly feel like freezing so if it’s just the same to you, Cap, I’ll sit right here between the two strongest heat sources in a hundred plus mile radius. My ass can just deal with it until we can get the hell out of here.”

Steve couldn’t help the small smirk of amusement. It was the most Tony had spoken since they’d climbed off of the jet and into the heavily falling snow. Steve couldn’t say that he was even remotely surprised that the first thing to get Tony worked up enough was Steve’s tendency to mother-hen.

He tilted his head in thought, eyes bouncing around the cabin for another option. While he understood Tony’s argument, Steve didn’t particularly like the idea that he was stuck sitting on the floor for who knew how long either. 

Steve hesitated, chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip before all but blurting out his counteroffer to this odd little negotiation. “What if I go with you?” 

“If you go with me where?” Tony asked, glare twisting into slight suspicion. “Because you’re trying to send me to the bed and that thing is barely fit for a child, Steve.”

“I’ve dealt with worse,” Steve said with a shrug. “It’s not that big of a deal. I can put enough wood into the fire to last most of the night. And, like you said, I run warm. It’s gotta be better than sitting on the floor, doesn’t it?”

Tony’s eyes narrowed as he studied Steve intently, Steve had no idea what he might be looking for. Maybe that Steve wasn’t just trying to have one over on him? He opened his mouth to say something only to immediately snap it closed again. 

“You’re sure about that?” Tony asked skeptically.

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if it was something I’d have a problem with,” Steve smiled. “It’s not ideal, I’ll give you that. But you can be more comfortable and...and I can make sure you’re warm too.”

Steve very pointedly didn’t say--or even allow himself to think, for that matter--that it would give him the chance to hold Tony and to make sure that he was safe and okay, despite the current situation. He didn’t confess that it warmed him more than the fire ever could to feel Tony cuddle in closer and closer into his side, even if only to steal some of his body heat. Or that having Tony next to him, snuggled in the way he didn’t even seem to realize he was doing, helped keep the cold from gaining a foothold in Steve’s mind.

It was probably selfish to keep that bit to himself. Tony probably deserved to know the whole picture before considering what Steve was suggesting. But Steve wasn’t quite so willing to potentially jeopardize their friendship. His own twisted up thoughts and wants were second place to that.

Tony’s skepticism turned into something adjacent to amused but not quite fully there. Though that didn’t seem to detract from the critical study. Steve wasn’t entirely sure he liked just how exposed the scrutiny left him feeling. 

“So that’s it huh?” Tony mused, head cocked to the side consideringly.

“What?” Steve blinked.

“That super secret dark side that you swore you had,” Tony said, lips twitching. 

“Tony,” Steve started and then sighed in resigned amusement. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re a cuddler!” Tony announced with a smirk. “That’s the secret that Captain America wants no one to know, isn’t it?”

Steve’s brows shot up in surprise and he laughed despite himself. “Sure Tony,” he chuckled. “You got me. I crashed the plane and got us stuck here as a cover to be able to stash you away in an abandoned cabin and snuggle you to my heart's content. Busted.”

Actually, Steve realized, that wasn’t exactly the most terrible idea he’d ever heard.

“I knew it,” Tony said faux-smug. Though, at some point he must have been able to read something off of Steve’s reaction. Something that had told Tony that he might have struck a little closer to truth than he’d intended. For all the almost playful smugness, there was something just slightly softer about his reaction as well.

“Fine,” Tony said, and sighed before shoving to his feet, grimacing when his joints popped noisily. He wobbled unsteadily and Steve’s hands automatically shot up to brace him until he found his balance. Tony waved him off with a smirk. “You win, Rogers. Get your ass up and come keep me warm. Puppy pile style, since that’s about the only way we’re both going to fit.”

“Actually,” Steve said thoughtfully, feeling a little foolish that he hadn’t thought of it before that moment. “I have an idea. Give me a sec.”

Without giving Tony a chance to protest or question, Steve quickly got to his feet. He shot Tony a small grin before moving toward the creaky bed frame. Steve tugged at the musty bedding and checked the mattress, both were in decent--but certainly not great--condition. It would do for the night. Steve lifted the mattress and bedding off of the frame and carefully maneuvered back in by the stove. 

Mindful not to set it  _ too _ close to the fire lest they end up catching fire, Steve settled it down onto the floor, nudging it flush against the cabinets where he and Tony had just been seated. “Does that work?” Steve asked with a small grin, relieved to see some of the tension that Tony had tried to hide behind the witticisms had eased.

Tony grinned back and slowly nodded his head. “Best of both worlds,” he quipped. 

They stood, for a moment, both clearly attempting to figure out the best way to settle. Tony hadn’t been wrong, it was very small and would undoubtedly be a very snug fit. On one hand, that would help keep body heat contained and they would be able to ration out the fuel for the stove further. Meaning that Tony could stay a bit warmer for longer. On the other hand, though...Steve did his best to ignore the way his ears and face heated. 

He pushed that aside and crouched to unlace his boots, kicking them off to the foot of the bed once the ties were loose. After sorting through the better logs and pushing one of the larger of those into the fire alongside another of the drier ones Steve stretched out on his side with his back against the cabinets, letting Tony stay closer to the stove. 

It would mean that Steve would have to disturb him any time that he needed to tend to the fire but with all of the wood that was already in there, he was confident that he would only need to get up once, maybe twice, throughout the night to maintain it. 

Tony settled next to him on his back with a quiet groan and shuffled closer to Steve again, then relaxed into the bedding. After a long moment, he glanced sideways at Steve with an expectant expression. Steve looked back blankly, unsure of what Tony was attempting to get him to do.

“This is not cuddling,” Tony said with a teasing pout that was interrupted by a yawn. Being as warm as he was between the fire and Steve, the events of the day, and finally stretching out and laying down seemed to be catching up with him. “Please tell me this isn’t your definition of cuddles. No wonder you call it your super secret dark side.”

Steve huffed and shook his head but let his arm rest across Tony’s stomach, hand curling around his opposite side and tugging him closer. Not that there was much remaining space between them to begin with. Tony unsuccessfully attempted to bite back another yawn and Steve grinned.

“Get some sleep, Tony,” Steve encouraged. “Not like there’s a whole lot else here that’s demanding your attention. Might as well catch up now.”

“No I’m fine,” Tony responded promptly albeit lazily. “I’ll sleep but it’s not time yet.”

“If you say so,” Steve mused. 

Tony scoffed but Steve was fondly amused to note that after another few minutes passed, Tony hadn’t so much as blinked. He shifted onto his side, his back pressed into Steve’s chest and curling more into Steve’s hold. And then his breathing evened out, slow and steady. 

Steve laughed softly, arms tightening around Tony briefly to hold him snug against him before allowing himself to relax as well. He knew that they had been exceedingly lucky that, for all the damage the jet had taken, they’d both come out of it relatively unscathed. Shaken and bruised, but somehow neither had sustained any serious injuries. That was not typically their sort of luck but Steve certainly wasn’t about to knock it. For being stranded on some mountainside in the middle of a blizzard, it was...it was peaceful, actually, once Steve had gotten the fire going.

He didn’t sleep for the first few hours, at least not fully but he did doze. Steve stayed just alert enough to keep track of the general temperature around them and whether Tony had awoken. He hadn’t.

Somewhere around midnight, Steve carefully extracted himself from where he was pinned between Tony and the cabinets and quietly tended to the fire. He eyed the shrinking woodpile with a grimace. Hopefully the storm broke sometime soon, there wouldn’t be enough if they happened to be stuck here for a second night. He wondered if he shouldn’t have rationed it out a little further rather than pushing the little stove to give off as much heat as quickly as possible. 

The few pieces of the heavier wood that Steve had already used weren’t entirely gone, the flames still slowly eating away at them. The last one he had put in there was still a little over half there. That should be enough to last the night for the heavy fuel. Steve pulled another piece from the larger, drier pile and carefully nudged it in next to the other pieces. With a quiet sigh, he pushed the door closed again and latched it. 

He was exhausted but he wasn’t  _ tired. _ Steve was very well aware that the light doze he had gotten earlier would be about the extent he got. At least until they were back somewhere safe and his mind didn’t feel like he needed to be on guard for anything and everything. But that couldn’t be helped, not at the moment anyway. The only thing at that point in time that could be helped, was keeping his promise to Tony to make sure he was kept warm and, more importantly, alive.

Steve snorted softly at his own mental dramatics and carefully eased himself back down next to Tony, doing his best not to wake him while still working himself into the small space against the cabinets that Tony had left him. Steve wasn’t entirely sure how he’d managed to fit there initially, let alone how he was going to get back there. 

Eventually, he sighed and gently nudged Tony further back on the mattress until he could actually lie down again. Tony’s face twisted in annoyance at the movement. He blinked sleepily and squinted at Steve, rolling onto his other side facing Steve and shuffling in close again with a sleepy sigh.

“How’re you warmer than you were before?” Tony asked, voice sleep rough.

“I was just adding more wood but the door was open,” Steve smiled.

“Time is it?” 

Steve chuckled softly and reached between them, tugging gently on Tony’s arm until he could see the watch wrapped around his wrist. “One twenty-eight in the morning. Still have plenty of time to sleep.”

Tony shook his head. “No,” he said, shifting onto his back so he could stretch his arms over his head. Steve swallowed thickly and forced his eyes back to Tony’s face. “No, I’m awake now, I think.”

“That’s what you said the last time,” Steve pointed out. 

“That was the last time,” Tony shrugged as he relaxed again, turning back onto his side facing Steve. “This is this time.”

“Whatever you say, Tony,” Steve laughed. “Feeling better, though?”

“I’m not cold so that’s definitely an improvement,” Tony nodded.

“Good,” Steve sighed and rested his head down against his palm.

“You know,” Tony started, tilting his head up just slightly to look back at Steve. “Just because I’m warm and awake doesn’t mean you’re allowed to stop cuddling me.”

“Demanding aren’t you?” Steve smirked.

“I have terrible, terrible news for you if that still comes as a surprise,” Tony scoffed, any bite to the words soothed over by the playful smirk.

“I think you’re the super secret cuddler,” Steve teased fondly, though he did let his arm wind back around Tony’s waist. Before Tony could critique his cuddling skills yet again, Steve pulled him in flush against him. He ignored the fluttering in his chest as Tony settled in with his head resting on Steve’s arm barely inches from Steve’s face. 

Tony blinked lazily and hummed in amusement. “Busted.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Steve grinned and stroked his hand over Tony’s back just once before returning to holding him snugly. 

“You should,” Tony replied contentedly. 

Steve didn’t often get to see Tony like this. Comfortable and relaxed, almost entirely at ease. The vibrating energy and tension that always seemed to radiate off of Tony was noticeably absent, replaced by a languid calm. A small, half-smile on his lips and his eyes half-lidded and lazily unfocused. Steve had to admit that he had always had a thing for Tony’s eyes. So bright and expressive, speaking more loudly and clearer than any of the many, many words that Tony tended to verbalize. Seeing the softness in them now was almost more powerful than the long line of Tony’s body pressed comfortably against his own.

Almost.

It was odd, though, given the situation. That being stranded the way that they were would be how Steve learned another fascinating detail about the man he had been secretly--or not so secretly, depending on who was asked--head over heels for. That he was at least partially responsible for it, for this easy sense of comfort, sent a pleasant, happy buzz through him. Steve knew without a doubt that he would always be willing to offer cuddles, and very nearly anything else, if this was the result. 

“Steve,” Tony said in a low, oddly insistent tone, breaking Steve from his thoughts.

Steve pulled his attention from scanning Tony’s features, memorizing how they looked when Tony was relaxed like this, and met Tony’s eyes curiously. He was startled to find Tony studying him intently, the lazy, sleepiness gone and looking as though he had been observing Steve the entire time. Steve had a brief moment of panic, wondering what Tony saw on his expression to cause that tone. How much did he see and what did it reveal?

Tony’s eyes, gods Steve always did love those eyes, slowly dropped and then flicked back up to meet his again, questioning. It took Steve an embarrassingly long moment to catch on to the unspoken question. He felt his face flush and his heart skip as he exhaled shakily and nodded tentatively. Tony’s hands climbed over Steve’s chest from where they had been curled between them. Steve could feel the pressure through the dense, stiff material of his uniform until warm hands tentatively cupped his face.

Emboldened by the touch and the very clear interest in Tony's expression, Steve gave himself permission to move. He licked his lips nervously before ducking forward and pressed his lips to Tony’s, every bit as tentative as the hands still cupping his face. They both stilled briefly at the first touch but then Steve felt Tony’s lips curl upward into a small smile. 

Steve pulled away, meeting Tony’s eyes for a moment before Tony insistently pulled him back in. Where the first one had been tentative and unsure to the point of being awkward, the second kiss felt like months and years of wishing and wanting and desire slamming into Steve all at once. He was sure every ounce of it poured freely into the kiss. He shifted his arm to curl over Tony’s shoulder, cradling his head carefully while holding him as tightly as was possible without hurting him with the arm still snug around Tony’s waist. 

Maybe he was projecting but Steve was almost certain he could taste the same in return.

The kiss drew to an end, not broken or cut short, but with what felt like a natural conclusion. One that could shift to the start of another or be left as it was without feeling as though it was premature. Steve didn’t want it to end, naturally or otherwise. He only let his eyes open when he felt the rush of air against his lips matching the sound of Tony’s soft, disbelieving laughter.

Steve couldn’t do anything more than stare as Tony’s expression settled into some combination of dumbstruck and awe, his thumb tracing over Steve’s lower lip. He kissed Tony’s sweeping finger, relishing in the soft surprise that flashed over his face. Tony smiled, small but pleased, and resettled comfortably into Steve’s hold, head still carefully cradled in the crook of his arm.

“Can we,” Steve hesitated, cutting himself off briefly. He ran his hand up and then down Tony’s spine as he gathered his words and pushed forward with his thought. “I want to be able to talk more about this when we’re home and safe.”

“But?” Tony prompted. 

Steve could feel Tony’s body tense against his own, losing some of the comfortable languidness that had wound around both of them. He stroked his hand more firmly over Tony’s back and pressed what he hoped was a brief but reassuring kiss to his lips. Steve had to force himself to keep it as short as he had intended, it was far too tempting to dive headfirst back into kissing Tony.

“No buts,” Steve said when he broke away. “I want to be able to, you know, do this properly. When we’re home. I would love that, Tony.”

Tony gave him an odd smile and nodded slowly. “I would, too.”

Steve knew his smile was bordering on ridiculous but he didn’t bother trying to stifle it. “Can I just,” he paused again and then sighed in annoyance with himself. “Can I just hold you? For now? Save the conversation until I know you’re-- _ we’re-- _ safe?”

Tony’s smile went soft and fond then, with a trace of amusement that told Steve that Tony had caught the slip. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, we can do that.”

Despite the easy agreement, Steve’s breath still caught at the comfortable way that Tony settled back against him. His hands released the hold he had maintained on Steve’s face and wound around Steve’s waist and Tony easily snuggled closer, head tucking under Steve’s chin and legs tangled until they were pressed as close together as physically possible. Steve’s arms tightened around him to keep him just like that.

Well, there was certainly no chance of Tony freezing like this, even if Steve didn’t tend to the fire for the rest of the night. Which, between the amount of wood he had already plied it with and the warm weight of Tony against him, Steve wasn’t sure he could be convinced that it was necessary to move anytime soon.

Hopefully, by morning the storm would have cleared completely, though the worst had already quieted. The low temperatures were more of a concern now than the storm itself. By morning they ought to be able to send some sort of signal out to the team or make their way back themselves with considerably less issue.

And then they would talk. Steve was determined that, when that happened, he would lay it all bare. Let Tony hear and see it all and they would go from there. Whatever that might mean.

But sunrise was still hours away and Tony had already given him permission for this, both in words and actions. Steve’s arms tightened reflexively and he smiled against the top of Tony’s head.

“Super secret snuggler,” Tony mumbled against him.

“Shh,” Steve hushed him with a small, besotted grin. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Tony laughed and then hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll keep your secret but…”

“But?” Steve prompted.

“I get to keep it?” 

The words were said in a teasing tone but, as close as they were, Steve couldn’t mistake the underlying hesitance for anything else. He supposed that fell into the category of the conversation they were meant to have when they were back home safe. 

But Steve had long since learned he wasn’t quite capable of denying Tony Stark anything he asked.

“Of course,” he said softly, tilting his chin until he could press a kiss to Tony’s hair. “For as long as you’d like, Tony.”


End file.
